Slow breathing.

Eyes up front.

Conceal your presence.

Feel the flow of misteria energy in your body, and slowly focus it on your right hand.

Slowly accumulate enough misteria for the shot, and then….

A pale blue sphere glowing from her right hand, Tsukihime had her sights on their target.

The snow has just finished falling when she and her stepbrother Ren decided to hunt, using the snow as stealth cover. After hours of searching for a game, they finally found one in a giant deer that wandered inside the snowy forest. It was a very large one, with the same pale blue glow that Tsukihime was producing. The energy flowed from its head throughout its body, as seen by the misteria veins that protruded its thick hide.

The place was dead silent because of the snow dampening any noise, so the deer have to rely on its eyes to spot any danger on its surroundings, which they took advantage by positioning themselves almost behind its blind spot.

Skeptic on Tsukihime’s ability to use misteria arts, Ren readied his bow, anticipating that she would fail.

“Now!!” the girl shouted as she fired the misteria energy, the bolt flew at almost the speed of light towards the deer.

Unfortunately, the bolt of energy almost fizzled out mid-flight, only hitting the deer with a miniscule amount of shock.

The deer was startled, rotating its head towards them, immediately spotting the two.

Agitated and enraged, it dashed towards Tsuki with the full intent on harming the girl, but Ren, with his bow ready, took the shot, and the arrow struck straight through the head. Losing consciousness every passing second, the deer lost its balance, its body slowly sled towards the fear-ridden girl. Blood soon trickled from the wound where the arrow has hit, coloring the once white snow with a crimson red hue.

With a deep exhale, Ren withdrew the bow to his back and walked towards Tsuki.

“You ok?” he asked her, outstretching his hand to help her get up.

Tsukihime could only nod, her mouth stiffened due to shock and cold, as she took her stepbrother’s hand and regained her balance.

There was silence for a moment, both of them just stared at the dead deer.

“Ren, I’m sorry,” the girl broke the silence, her eyes trying to not look at him.

“Its fine, really. I already knew this would happen, anyway,” he responded, shrugging off any worries that the girl had.

It was like a routine for him at that point. Ever since Tsukihime found out that she can use misteria energy, she could not stop trying to effectively conjure an art.

Tsukihime was no ordinary human, for she was a relic of the past... a long, long past, indeed.

***

Ren and his family found the girl only known as Tsukihime on one of the family’s hunting and scavenging trips. Wandering inside a large building, they were looking for scraps, anything that still has any value. After experiencing a hard fall, Ren found the girl’s cryogenic capsule sitting quietly, preserving her inside with its cold interior.

After a month of figuring out how to release her from her subzero confinement, they finally did it and took care of her at their home at the refugee city of Axria. Having lost some of her memories from the time that she lived, Tsukihime tried to find answers as to what really happened in the world at the time when she was in a deep slumber.

Who am I? Rather, who am I that is so important, someone needed to preserve my body in ice? What really happened in this world?

Where…. is everybody?

These questions ran through the girl’s head as she continued her life under Ren’s family for over three years. Even though she quickly got along the way of life on the new Earth, she could not help but miss the time when she is truly young. For some reason that she could not remember, her soul pushes her to find out about the truth of Earth’s devastation.

The family tried their utmost all, but they could not hide Tsukihime’s high compatibility with misteria forever, and thus, four years after she was awakened, her body naturally began to manifest phenomenon only possible with misteria manipulation. After a long talk, they had her agree not to let anyone else see her powers, for they were fearful of what might happen to Tsukihime if her powers were to be discovered by either the Empire of Paladinus or the Argento Collective, two factions which were at war with each other for a very long time, even before their arrival on their dimension.

Even so, she tried to rekindle her knowledge about the misteria arts, for she believed that by remembering it, she could also restore her memories from the distant past.

After packing their hunt onto the Kettenkrad, Ren and Tsukihime began their way back to Axria. The sky, still covered with greyish clouds, has started precipitating snow again. He turned the starter motor and then after a loud hum from the Kettenkrad’s engine, it ran silently on standby, making the body of the vehicle rattle. Except for its remarkable misteria converter engine, its entirety is a testament, a relic of the old Earth’s past. It had a caterpillar track system as its means of movement, allowing very sharp turns and making it an all-terrain vehicle. It could fit up to seven people, and it was powerful enough to pull up to 4 tonnes of additional weight. It sported a rough brown and black color, due to its usage and lack of cleaning. It had become the family heirloom of Ren's family, passed from generation to generation.

“Let’s go, Tsuki, it looks like another snowstorm is coming,” Ren called her, still staring at a distance.

Hearing the boy’s call, she slowly turned around and walked towards their vehicle. After she got inside the Kettenkrad, Ren rode on the driver’s seat of the vehicle and stepped on the pedal, making it move back to their home.

They passed through snowy terrain, most of the roads now clogged with fresh white snow. Because of the Catastrophe, Earth’s orientation has reversed, making the south pole north and vice versa, along with the planet’s tilt changing from 23.6 to almost 35 degrees. For that cause, a large part of northern part of Great Britain island experiences snow almost all year long, worsening at winter.

Ren had installed a makeshift tent on the Kettenkrad to protect them from the elements, and for the most part, it does its job well. Their hunt at one side, Tsukihime sat on the other side of the vehicle, staring at the white snow around them. Then, she stretched her hand outside to catch a snowflake, the silver bracelet shining with whatever light could penetrate the thick clouds above them.

“Tsuki, what are you thinking this time?” he asked, trying to break the silence between them.

But the girl has seemingly not heard anything that he said, her eyes still staring at the snow.

She was concentrated on feeling the flow of misteria with her hand. It felt like a slow moving stream, calm and relaxing to the touch. She could almost see it, visualizing it as a blue stream. Some of the energy flowed towards her hand, where the bracelet is. Although almost everyone had the basic knowledge about the energy, she hypothesized that only ones who could has high misteria compatibility could truly sense its flow.

Suddenly, the misteria flow changed. It felt very rough and powerful, as if they were headed towards a waterfall.

The girl looked towards the direction as to where Ren is driving, observing if anything was in front of their way.

“Oh no, it seems that another misteria storm is in our way,” Ren said in disappointment as he slowed down their vehicle, confirming Tsuki’s fears.

Snowstorms are one thing, but a misteria snowstorm is another.More severe and dangerous, it emits high concentrated misteria lightning bolts that if hit, the victim will have an experience worse than death itself.

The boy got off their vehicle and walked for a bit, looking around for a place to camp.

“There! A cave. We can stay there while the storm is passing,” he informed the girl, pointing at the entrance of the cave under a large mountain.

She nodded, fully knowing the risk of going out into the storm. They immediately drove and parked the Kettenkrad inside of it. Ren then gathered the firewood that he has in store under the left seat of the vehicle, and with a little gas and spark, he made a bonfire to keep them warm. As he finished the setup, the downpour of snow had begun, along with it the strong gales storm. The howling of the wind and the thunderous boom of misteria lightning reverberated around the walls of the cave, sending shivers down the two person’s spines. Even with the bonfire, they could still feel the cold from outside, prompting Ren to add more firewood into it.

“Maybe we should eat something for now to keep us warm,” he said, in which Tsukihime nodded almost aggressively. He sliced a large chunk of deer meat, then cut them into cubes, skewered them into two sticks, and finally put them above the bonfire to cook. The smell of roasted meat soon reached Tsuki’s nose, making her look at them with zest.

“Just wait for a bit, Tsuki, they’ll be done soon.”

If there was one thing that Ren could say about Tsukihime, it is her being a glutton. Ever since she came into their family, they had to hunt more than their usual just to appease her ever growling stomach.

That was not a problem to them, though. Having her in their family made their lives a bit more cheerful. They could not explain it, but it just seemed that her presence made everyone around her happy, despite the state of the world they were living in. She was like a flower, beautifully blooming in the middle of a cracked, dried up landscape.

The snowstorm raged on, with the misteria lightning bolts occasionally boomed at the distance. Tsukihime could feel the raging flow of misteria all over her, as if she was being swept away by a very strong current. The howling of winds and the coldness that it brought crept upon her body as she looked at the already darkened surroundings outside of the cave. Only the fire from the bonfire prevented them from feeling the cold, and yet it seemed that it was not enough.

After a while, the roasted pieces of deer meat have been cooked into perfectly brown cubes.

“Time to eat,” he called the girl, immediately getting her attention.

Tsukihime could not wait to get her hands on the grilled meat, and when she did, she admired it with her eyes wide open. Her mind was always fixated when it comes to food, a trait that Ren quite enjoys about her.

As they ate, Ren asked her something.

“So, what are you thinking all this time?”

She chewed and gulped her food, then answered to him in a sweet yet melancholic tone, her first words since they left the hunting grounds.

“Nothing much, really. It’s just my mind wandering off again.”

Ren kind of expected that answer from her, it was her usual response whenever she was asked that question. He knew that it was not a dishonest answer, due to her circumstances, but he had always been curious as to what Tsuki had in her mind whenever she stares in the horizon.

And thus, he left the matter at hand, and proceeded to eat alongside his stepsister.

***

Tsuki… you must wake up.

You have to remember.

For… him.

The girl immediately opened her eyes.

It was the same dream over and over again.

She, all alone in the darkness…

Surrounded by nothingness.

With only the voice of someone she clearly knew yet could not remember guiding her.

Breathing heavily, she got up from her slumber. She touched her chest, feeling her fast beating heart. The thought still ran through her mind, about her identity and such.

The storm raged on outside of the cave, its howling winds made it hard for her to go back to sleep. Meanwhile, Ren almost went into dreamland if not Tsukihime suddenly waking up.

“Ren, I think I’ll handle the night watch now. You can go rest,” she said, smiling a bit as he looked at him.

“Thanks. I really needed this one. This weather really calls for a good sleep, you know,” he answered with a sluggish voice.

In no time, Ren tucked himself on one of their spare blankets and quickly fell asleep.

Time passed by, the storm still raging outside the cave. The coldness slowly became unbearable for the both of them due to the bonfire’s dwindling supply of wood, so she got up and got some from the Kettenkrad. But suddenly…

Remember…

Remember who you are…

He… needs you…

She heard that voice again.

It was a girl’s voice, one that she encountered in the past, yet Tsukihime could not recall her identity.

Then…

The boy… he is in danger! HURRY!!!

The voice now called to her outside of her dreams, making her extremely afraid around her surroundings. The sound of the wind outside and the dwindling light from the bonfire did not help to calm her down. Her eyes frantically searched for the source of the sound, while her body trembled with fear for something that she could not see.

“Wh---who are you!? What do you want with me!?” she shouted, pointing her hand in front of her while going in circles. As she raised it, she noticed something from it.

“What is this?”

Her bracelet glowed a faint blue light.

As she continued looking for the source of the voice, she had another discovery.

The glow grew a bit brighter as she pointed it inside the cave.

The inside of the cave was pitch black, so much that it looked like a tunnel that goes nowhere. She felt that if she ventured further, she might end up in an unending abyss.

And yet, the bracelet glowed, as if it was telling her to go inside the darkness.

It was a decision making moment for her, either to stay in her current state or to go inside and find out even a single clue about her identity.

Thus, she slowly walked towards the darkness, her fear growing with each step. Yet she moved on, with her resolve to know the truth overcoming her phobia and doubts along the way.